However, that knowledge doesn't always transfer over to the hunting fields. When we're hunting we don't have rock-solid concrete benches to shoot from, and the simple matter of physics is that your rifle will recoil differently from the bench than it will when you're shooting from your palm.
I'll readily admit that I'm not a great shot and what my rifles can do in the field, as opposed to what they do on the bench are two different situations. For example, I've got one .30-06 load that I shoot through my Savage 110. It uses 165/168 grain bullets and IMR 4895. It can throw that bullet at something north of 2800 fps, which makes it good medicine for any game in North America, short of the big bears. That rifle shoots that load very well, under an inch when I've got out all the sandbags and I'm doing everything that I can do to give the rifle its best chance.
So, in early August every year, after the load development is done, I start going to the range to practice shooting like I'm going to shoot in the hunting field. I'm shooting the rifle, not the bench. I may be sitting, I may be kneeling, I may be on my belly, but I'm learning again how to shoot.
This one target in particular illustrates the problem. It's that .30-06 Savage, firing its favorite load, but I'm shooting from my palm. I might be sitting at the table with my elbows on the concrete, I might kneel, I might even stand and take an expedient rest on an upright pole. But I'm not using the sandbags and my benchrest is still in the truck.
That's nine shots. Three strings of three shots each. Eight of them went into 2.2 inches, the ninth (which was a called flyer in the second string) opened the group to 3.5 inches. This from my Savage with its Weaver K6 scope mounted.
Let's look at another example. I've got a Remington 700 that I picked up last year. It's a .308 and I'm playing with a new powder, Alliant Power-Pro 2000 MR. I'm using 150 grain Hornady Interlock bullets and the powder charge is pushing that bullet to 2950 fps as recorded on my Chrony. I've got the rifle sighted 3" high with that load, and this morning between series with the Savage, I decided to give the Remington its chance. I basically put my elbows on the table and sent three at a clean target.
Three shots into 1.1 inches from a hunting position. Is that a fluke? Damned right it's a fluke, because I don't shoot that well. I've gotten bench groups of 0.58 inches with that rifle and I know it's a fine load. However, I'm not that fine a shot but I am proud to have that target.
What's the point of this rambling discourse? It's well and good to wring all the accuracy we can out of our rifles, but the hunting season is upon us and we're not going to have benches and sandbags. It's time to start practicing for the hunting season and that involves powder and bullets and some of your time. Get away from the bench and start shooting. You'll be a better hunter for the experience.
5 comments:
Targets look mighty fine to me. I practice much the same way but my targets are not bragging quality.
Fred
My insane uncle, who taught me to shoot, was a USMC DI during WWII. He beat it into me that unless I was competing in a match, I'd almost never get the opportunity of a perfect shot. So I made up reduced loads for my hunting rifle and went varmint hunting and plinking with it. That was in my late teens and my rifle was a M1891 Arg. Mauser cut to 22" and fitted with a Williams 5D rear and a ramp and blade front sight. That rifle and I got comfortable with each other, and I got to where I was confident of hitting a beer can as far away as I could see and identify it. My uncle would take me deer hunting and have me use my practice loads. Not too powerful, but every deer I ever took a shot at got close up and familiar with the Freezer in the basement at home. A 200 gr .30 cast bullet at about 2000 fps is a sure fire deer killer out to 175 yds. or so. That's about twice as far as my longest shot.
PawPaw, it seems you have your '06 sighted in for 300+ yards, if you're aiming on the orange spot.
Dono about you, but when I hunted in the brush, I sighted for 100. If you tend to shoot high anyway, unless you are on the lower end of a deer's "boiler room", you might miss a vital area with that much overshooting. If you shoot for the neck, that much misses the spine completely.
16 clicks down and fire a few more.
Agreed Paw- Getting off the rest and onto the hunting 'positions' is critical to actually MAKING the shot in the field.
Riv'rdog. I appreciate that, but today I was shooting for the hell of it, not to adjust a scope. With the '06 I was trying to get re-acquainted with the rifle and burn up some 3 year+ ammo I had laying around.
All that brass has been resized now and will be loaded on the morn. With good Sierra Gamekings. They'll be sighted for 1" at 100 yards. That will put them down an inch at 100, which is fine for my purposes.
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